We've been needing one of these for a long time, and since the traffic in the book forum's up, now's as good a time as any. Like the random movie thread news thread, use this when you have news to post, but don't think it's big enough to warrant its own thread.

Two new book columns went up today at the main page. And btw, since we have a lot of threads on these columns in this forum that don't seem to get much traffic or go anywhere, this time I'm going to try just leaving them here in random book news, and see how that works out.

Frank Bascombe returns with Death of a Murderer and I Just Want My Pants Back:

Adam Balm wrote:Two new book columns went up today at the main page. And btw, since we have a lot of threads on these columns in this forum that don't seem to get much traffic or go anywhere, this time I'm going to try just leaving them here in random book news, and see how that works out.

Frank Bascombe returns with Death of a Murderer and I Just Want My Pants Back:

Excellent reviews balm; read the main page stuff this AM - good stuff. I stopped reading Brian Herbert and Star Wars darling Kevin Anderson's Dune stuff at the Machine Crusade - I may jump back in the pool for a spell after reading your review.

But if you didn't like the Machine Crusade, I don't know if I'd recommend this one. My initial reaction was waaay more negative than I ended up writing. It does feel like a complete betrayal of the philosophy of Frank Herbert, but on the other hand Frank Herbert was a betrayal of the philosophy of Frank Herbert. If there's one constant in the Dune books, it's Herbert doing a 180 on everything he said before and showing everything in a new light.

@balm - re: Frank Herbert 180s - completely agree, not just in tone but complete structural and narrative departures from book to book â€“ as a kid, coming from Dune I had a hard time with the structure of the next book â€“ it seemed like someone else wrote and edited it.

only a couple months left until his next book comes out, and considering he was considered "the next Tolkien" back in the late 70's/early 80's, with his first 6 books NY Times best sellers, i think it is worthy book news.

One in four adults say they read no books at all in the past year, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Tuesday. Of those who did read, women and seniors were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices.

The survey reveals a nation whose book readers, on the whole, can hardly be called ravenous. The typical person claimed to have read four books in the last year â€” half read more and half read fewer. Excluding those who hadn't read any, the usual number read was seven.

more at the above link.

do you think you read more or less than the average american? why do you think people read less?

That number is higher than it was back in the mid-'80s. I think the average was two books a year. I used to read at least two books a month, but the brain doesn't work so well anymore and I need to read more slowly if I'm to retain and comprehend.

"If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all." -- Noam Chomsky

One in four adults say they read no books at all in the past year, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Tuesday. Of those who did read, women and seniors were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices.

The survey reveals a nation whose book readers, on the whole, can hardly be called ravenous. The typical person claimed to have read four books in the last year â€” half read more and half read fewer. Excluding those who hadn't read any, the usual number read was seven.

more at the above link.

do you think you read more or less than the average american? why do you think people read less?

Holy. Shit.

That's some mind-blowing news. I'll admit that I read less then I did when I took the train into work, but I still try to get through a book in two weeks (not including weekends). With exceptions, of course. It took me a day and half to get through HP7.

I'd read more if I wasn't trying to write my own novel. And if I didn't have to work!

One in four adults say they read no books at all in the past year, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Tuesday. Of those who did read, women and seniors were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices.

The survey reveals a nation whose book readers, on the whole, can hardly be called ravenous. The typical person claimed to have read four books in the last year â€” half read more and half read fewer. Excluding those who hadn't read any, the usual number read was seven.

more at the above link.

do you think you read more or less than the average american? why do you think people read less?

Holy. Shit.

That's some mind-blowing news. I'll admit that I read less then I did when I took the train into work, but I still try to get through a book in two weeks (not including weekends). With exceptions, of course. It took me a day and half to get through HP7.

I'd read more if I wasn't trying to write my own novel. And if I didn't have to work!

How you uh, how you comin' on that novel you're working on?
Huh?
Gotta a big, uh, big stack of papers there?
Gotta, gotta nice litte story you're working on there?
Your big novel you've been working on for 3 years?
Huh?
Gotta, gotta compelling protaganist?
Yeah?
Gotta obstacle for him to overcome?
Huh?
Gotta story brewing there?
Working on, working on that for quite some time?
Huh?
Yeah, talking about that 3 years ago. Been working on that the whole time?
Nice little narrative?
Beginning, middle, and end?
Some friends become enemies, some enemies become friends?
At the end your main character is richer from the experience?
Yeah?
Yeah?
No, no, you deserve some time off...

One in four adults say they read no books at all in the past year, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Tuesday. Of those who did read, women and seniors were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices.

The survey reveals a nation whose book readers, on the whole, can hardly be called ravenous. The typical person claimed to have read four books in the last year â€” half read more and half read fewer. Excluding those who hadn't read any, the usual number read was seven.

more at the above link.

do you think you read more or less than the average american? why do you think people read less?

Holy. Shit.

That's some mind-blowing news. I'll admit that I read less then I did when I took the train into work, but I still try to get through a book in two weeks (not including weekends). With exceptions, of course. It took me a day and half to get through HP7.

I'd read more if I wasn't trying to write my own novel. And if I didn't have to work!

How you uh, how you comin' on that novel you're working on? Huh? Gotta a big, uh, big stack of papers there? Gotta, gotta nice litte story you're working on there? Your big novel you've been working on for 3 years? Huh? Gotta, gotta compelling protaganist? Yeah? Gotta obstacle for him to overcome? Huh? Gotta story brewing there? Working on, working on that for quite some time? Huh? Yeah, talking about that 3 years ago. Been working on that the whole time? Nice little narrative? Beginning, middle, and end? Some friends become enemies, some enemies become friends? At the end your main character is richer from the experience? Yeah? Yeah? No, no, you deserve some time off...

Pulitzer Prize-winning US author Cormac McCarthy has won the UK's oldest literary award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction.The Road, McCarthy's tale of a father and son in a post-apocalyptic America, was named the best novel of the year.He wins Â£10,000, as does Byron Rogers, who won in the biography category for his book about Welsh poet RS Thomas.The University of Edinburgh has awarded the two prizes since 1919. Past winners include DH Lawrence and EM Forster.McCarthy, 74, was not at the ceremony at the Edinburgh International Book Festival to collect the award.

'Imaginative impact'

The honour comes four months after Road, his 10th novel, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.The other James Tait Black fiction nominees were Sarah Waters, Ray Robinson, James Lasdun, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Alice Munro.Judge Professor Colin Nicholson, of the University of Edinburgh, said: "Each of the shortlisted authors is prize-worthy."But my fellow judge Roger Savage agrees with me that for imaginative impact and page-turning readability, the two winning books are both destined to become classics in their respective genres."

Stephen Hawking has written a kids' science fiction trilogy called George's Secret Key to the Universe, the first volume of which is to be published in 29 countries this year, with subsequent volumes coming once a year. His goal is to create a rigorously scientific work of sf that turns kids onto sf -- that's my kind of book! Hawking's co-writers are his daughter (who came up with the idea) and the French physicist Christophe Galfard, whose thesis was based on Hawking's work.

The trio wanted to "provide a modern vision of cosmology from the Big Bang to the present day," without presenting it as magic, Galfard said. "All of what we see (in the universe) corresponds exactly to what has happened already," he added.

The Book Description at Amazon.com wrote:Stephen Hawking, author of the multi-million copy bestselling A Brief History of Time, and his daughter Lucy explain the universe to readers of all ages. George's parents, who have always been wary of technology, warn him about their new neighbors: Eric is a scientist and his daughter, Annie, seems to be following in his footsteps. But when George befriends them and Cosmos, their super-computer, he finds himself on a wildly fun adventure, while learning about physics, time, and the universe. With Cosmos's help, he can travel to other planets and a black hole. But what would happen if the wrong people got their hands on

Cosmos? George, Annie, and Eric aren't about to find out, and what ensues is a funny adventure that clearly explains the mysteries of science.

Garry Parsons' energetic illustrations add humor and interest, and his scientific drawings add clarity; there are also eight 4-page full-color

Disgraced Writer Frey Penning New NovelBy HILLEL ITALIE,APPosted: 2007-09-13 10:44:02Filed Under: Star ScandalsNEW YORK (Sept. 13) - James Frey is writing a new book, and this time he's calling it fiction.

The author of the notorious "A Million Little Pieces," the addiction memoir he acknowledged largely fabricating, will have a novel released in summer 2008 by HarperCollins. The publisher of Harper Collins told The Associated Press that the novel, "Bright Shiny Morning," was a "kaleidoscopic" portrait of modern Los Angeles.

HarperCollins will publish a new novel by James Frey, the author who fabricated stories of addiction and jail time in his best-selling book, 'A Million Little Pieces.'"It has great emotional power," said Jonathan Burnham, who added that he had befriended Frey a year ago and had known of the new book for several months.

What's Your Take?A HarperCollins publicist said there would be no comment from Frey, whose career was seemingly finished a year ago after allegations emerged that he had embellished, or entirely invented, substantial portions of "A Million Little Pieces."

Oprah Winfrey, who had picked the memoir for her book club, later angrily turned against the author, chewing him out on her television program. Frey's agent dropped him, as did Penguin Group USA, which had negotiated a seven-figure contract with him. The publisher of "A Million Little Pieces," Doubleday, ended up offering refunds to customers who felt they had been duped.

But readers had not given up on him. Into 2007, "A Million Little Pieces" has continued to sell at least 1,000 copies a week, according to Nielsen BookScan, which tracks industry sales. Nan Talese, who published Frey through her own imprint at Doubleday, said he deserved another chance.

"He's doing what he always wanted to do," Talese told The Associated Press. She was strongly interested in the book after hearing about it from Frey's new agent, Eric Simonoff, but said that HarperCollins had agreed to terms with Frey before she had a chance to see the manuscript.

"I'm very happy for James. It's a fresh start," she said.

Frey was a screenwriter, based in Los Angeles, before "A Million Little Pieces" was published in 2003, to a strong mix of praise, criticism and skepticism. Winfrey's endorsement, in the fall of 2005, revived interest, but led to a devastating investigative report by the Web site www.thesmokinggun.com.

Frey, who turned 38 on Wednesday, has also written a second, highly disputed memoir, "My Friend Leonard," and has said that he wanted to write a Los Angeles-based novel. On the Winfrey program he said he would not write about the debunking of "A Million Little Pieces."

Burnham acknowledged that he would have felt "differently" had Frey written another memoir, but said that he remained a great admirer of "A Million Little Pieces."

"Whatever view one might hold of what happened with that book, I was deeply struck by the writing," Burnham said.

It'll be interesting to see whether or not Frey can mount a comeback; there'll probably be a swirl of publicity around the release of his new book, which should be good for moving a few copies, but it's hard to separate A Million Little Pieces from the news it generated, and hard to discern whether it's sold so well because of the controversy surrounding it (first for being such a sensational true story, later for being such a fake true story), or because it's actually any good.

Here's a really cool talk Geoff Ryman just gave at BORÃ‰AL in Montreal. It kind of touches on themes that were also brought up by Charles Stross, about space colonization and the like, and I don't agree with everything he says, but as a survey of the genre it's one of the best talks I've read all year...

Adam Balm wrote:Here's a really cool talk Geoff Ryman just gave at BORÃ‰AL in Montreal. It kind of touches on themes that were also brought up by Charles Stross, about space colonization and the like, and I don't agree with everything he says, but as a survey of the genre it's one of the best talks I've read all year...

Dunno where else to put this - I'm surprised he doesn't have his own thread somewhere here. Douglas Adams' 'Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency' has been adapted for radio! I haven't actually read it for about ten years but what I remember is all good - great characters, wildly imaginative and of course hilarious, though the humour a lot more subtle than HHGTTG. Highly recommended if you are a fan of Adams.

Radio 4 are streaming it on their website which is here. Unlike the BBC's footall commentary streams, I can actually listen to it here in China which is nice. Harry Enfield is playing the lead which will be interesting - he gets a bad rap these days but was a fantastic comedic character actor 'back in the day', before (the admittedly marvellous) Paul Whitehouse stole his crown.

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Oprah Winfrey has picked "Love in the Time of Cholera," the epic love story by Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez, as her next book club selection.

"If you love love, this book is the best love story ever," Winfrey said Friday on her daytime talk show.

The novel by the Colombian-born Garcia Marquez was published in 1985. Set on the Caribbean coast of South America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it tells the tale of a woman and two men, and an unrequited love that spans 50 years.

"It is so beautifully written that it really takes you to another place in time and will make you ask yourself how long could you or would you wait for love," Winfrey said.

Garcia Marquez, 80, won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1982. His most famous work, "One Hundred Years of Solitude," was a selection in 2004 for Winfrey's book club.

"He's truly one of our greatest living literary giants," she said.

Winfrey noted that a film adaptation of "Love in the Time of Cholera" is scheduled for November release. The movie starring Javier Bardem and Benjamin Bratt was directed by Mike Newell ("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire").

"If you're like me, you'll want to read the book before you see the movie," Winfrey said, but suggested book clubs could hold their next meeting at the movie theater.

Vintage Books, a paperback imprint of Random House Inc., announced a new printing of 750,000 copies for the novel, and an additional 30,000 for the original Spanish-language text.

Last edited by The Todd on Sun Oct 07, 2007 3:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Yeah, I went to Barnes & Noble the other day and saw a whole row of the book festooned with "O" stickers. I actually think that being associated with The Oprah is a net gain for some of these classic books that haven't gotten their due, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't glad I already have a copy, sans "O"

Dunno where else to put this - I'm surprised he doesn't have his own thread somewhere here. Douglas Adams' 'Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency' has been adapted for radio! I haven't actually read it for about ten years but what I remember is all good - great characters, wildly imaginative and of course hilarious, though the humour a lot more subtle than HHGTTG. Highly recommended if you are a fan of Adams.

Radio 4 are streaming it on their website which is here. Unlike the BBC's footall commentary streams, I can actually listen to it here in China which is nice. Grande Rojo Enfield is playing the lead which will be interesting - he gets a bad rap these days but was a fantastic comedic character actor 'back in the day', before (the admittedly marvellous) Paul Whitehouse stole his crown.

ok, so my man, Stephen R Donaldson, published "Fatal Revenant", the second book in The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant this past week, and while i am waiting till this weekend to be able to dive in i am even more psyched after reading some positive reviews. a few blurbs......

"Publishers Weekly raves: "[T]his complicated and emotional continuation of the Thomas Covenant saga is exactly what Donaldson's fans have been hoping for."

""Following the events of The Runes of the Earth, Donaldson's latest contribution to his saga explores the boundaries of love and trust as well as the importance of loyalty and friendship. Essential for series fans and a necessary addition to most fantasy collections." Library Journal"

""Stephen R. Donaldson is a great worldbuilder as he makes his characters even the monsters seem real, but it is the poignancy of relationships that make him one of the best fantasists today." Books'N Bytes"

I have no idea if she planned this from the beginning (As she was writing the HP series) or just added this for diversity's sake. I just never thought of Albus as ghey. Sure, you see all the slash pairings in the series, but he was the last person I'd expect.

I have no idea if she planned this from the beginning (As she was writing the HP series) or just added this for diversity's sake. I just never thought of Albus as ghey. Sure, you see all the slash pairings in the series, but he was the last person I'd expect.

Though I am now wondering about him and Nicholas Flammel...

This is actually terrific news!!!

It might help make the next generation of kids a little more tolerant. And it will sure piss of the fundamentalists even more ...

Peven wrote:ok, so my man, Stephen R Donaldson, published "Fatal Revenant", the second book in The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant this past week, and while i am waiting till this weekend to be able to dive in i am even more psyched after reading some positive reviews. a few blurbs......

"Publishers Weekly raves: "[T]his complicated and emotional continuation of the Thomas Covenant saga is exactly what Donaldson's fans have been hoping for."

""Following the events of The Runes of the Earth, Donaldson's latest contribution to his saga explores the boundaries of love and trust as well as the importance of loyalty and friendship. Essential for series fans and a necessary addition to most fantasy collections." Library Journal"

""Stephen R. Donaldson is a great worldbuilder as he makes his characters even the monsters seem real, but it is the poignancy of relationships that make him one of the best fantasists today." Books'N Bytes"

update: "Fatal Revenant" now sits at #12 on the New York Times Best Seller list one week after its release.

i also just found out the other day that Colbert is a fan too. when talking about great fantasy authors the first two names he listed were Tolkien and Donaldson.

I think I'm glad I don't read too much fantasy/sci-fi even though I love the genres... I feel like Todd MacFarlane, who never read current comics when he did his work on Spawn. I want to remain somewhat fresh and untainted. The only difference being that Todd actually had a career doing what he loved, and I just dream about it

CHristopher Paolini has decided to write a FOURTH Inheritance book. Either he wants the dough, or is apologizing on how badly Fox executed most of "Eragon".

Speaking of that, if they did get around to "Eldest", they should at least hire a director who's made a few films first...and not chop it into under two hours...and not leave the important scenes out of the final cut...(Sorry, I could go on, but I won't.)

LONDON, England (AP) -- The conception of Adolf Hitler was never going to make for easy reading.

But late American novelist Norman Mailer's explicit rendition of the incestuous encounter between the genocidal German dictator's parents has won the writer one of the world's most dubious literary prizes.

Mailer, who died of renal failure last month at 84, was one of five candidates for the annual "Bad Sex in Fiction Award" which aims to highlight crude and tasteless descriptions of sex in modern novels.

In a ceremony at the In & Out Club in central London, the judges paid homage to a "great American man of letters," adding: "We are sure that he would have taken the prize in good humor."

LONDON, England (AP) -- The conception of Adolf Hitler was never going to make for easy reading.

But late American novelist Norman Mailer's explicit rendition of the incestuous encounter between the genocidal German dictator's parents has won the writer one of the world's most dubious literary prizes.

Mailer, who died of renal failure last month at 84, was one of five candidates for the annual "Bad Sex in Fiction Award" which aims to highlight crude and tasteless descriptions of sex in modern novels.

In a ceremony at the In & Out Club in central London, the judges paid homage to a "great American man of letters," adding: "We are sure that he would have taken the prize in good humor."

Lord Voldemoo wrote:I'm with ya!!! Though the idea of waiting 10 years and then no Harry as the central character makes me a little nervous...call it "prequel-trauma". Still, if she writes it I'll read it.

10 years is a loooong wait. But so worth it!

I'd be down to read about a different character. As long as it's in the Potter-universe I'll be happy like a shroomin' schoolgirl. I wonder if she'll write about a character that already exists or if she'll create someone completely new...

So many questions! I feel as if I've found a new reason to live for the next 10 years!

I'm a little curious about how she plans to follow up on the Harry Potter phenomenon. I'd read somewhere that she's in the middle of writing some sort of detective novel. Will it suck? Will it sink like a lead balloon? Either way, I almost feel like I owe it to her to read it now.

Today, she is a the birthday of a the Jules Verne, eh? Arguably a the Father of a the Science Fiction, no? He enna'visioned cars, planes, rocketships to a the moon, (practically) nuclear-powered submarines, fax machines, etc. alla inna the pre-electric days of a the 19th century...

Let us alla reflect how a this putz, he shape a the Modern Age, eh?

Here is a the part of a the review by a the William Stoddard of a the Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under a the Sea", specifically a the 1993 edition translated by a the Walter James Miller anna the Frederick Paul Walter:

William Stoddard wrote:Miller and Walter's translation of Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea helps show why this is so, much better than earlier translations of Verne did. In fact, Verne has suffered badly from careless and inept translators, as this version makes clear. For a start, previous versions omitted over 20% of the French text, including important passages of technical detail, such as Captain Nemo's account of the batteries used on the Nautilus (Bunsen batteries, a type of wet primary cell actually used at the time, but operating at higher voltage due to the replacement of zinc with sodium in one electrode) and Professor Arronax's questions to Nemo about the thermodynamics of his power source. Moreover, the English of previous translators was often not much better than their French, making it hard for readers to understand why anyone read Verne for pleasure. Happily, this translation has an excellent prose style that brings Verne's narrative and characters to life.

Happily, Verne is now gaining more recognition and more accurate translations, and it can be hoped that his reputation will grown in proportion. This version, Miller's translation of From the Earth to the Moon, and the newly discovered Paris in the 20th Century show us the Verne we ought to have had all along, a man writing for adults.